Klavirni

Album review

By the time this third album appeared, Emika's electronic and eclectic back catalog had already touched upon dubstep, downtempo, synth pop, and pop, all while blending traditional melodies with performances that were odd enough to land her on the quirky Ninja Tune label. Early versions of her second LP, 2013's DVA, came with the bonus, piano-only, three-track Klavirni EP, from which this album version literally picks ups with "Dilo 4," and everything that follows is sequentially named. Take into consideration that the Czech-raised musician was "classically trained" and feels much love for homeland hero Leos Janacek, and this mostly piano album might be a prickly affair, but Emika isn't so "classically minded" after all. The artist wanders into the warm world of George Winston and other stalwarts from the new age label Windham Hill on "Dilo 6," a delicate number which sounds like chasing butterflies in the backyard. "Dilo 8" comes with a pop melody so achingly familiar one wonders if it's "haunting" or just "borrowed," and speaking of ghosts, the use of the sustain pedal is often heavy as notes echo and hang, echo and hang. None of these points are insults, because Klavirni convincingly embraces the sweet side of life, but this album doesn't sound like Emika the edgy, sonic mixologist until "Dilo 9" adds some electronic, Orb-like transmissions into the mix. An Emika album for fans and their parents is the snarky way to look at it, but the sweet way to see Klavirni is still as a "background" or "mood" album, one built for returning customers.

© David Jeffries /TiVo